This Sceptred Isle - Christopher Lee

Category: Documentary, History, Radio Productions
Language: English
Keywords: BBC Britian British England History UK

Written by Christopher Lee
Format: MP3

MP3 | 2.72 GB | VBR 

BBC Radio - The Sceptred Isle - 55BC-1901 
BBC Radio - This Sceptred Isle - Dynasties 
BBC Radio - This Sceptred Isle - Empire 
BBC Radio - This Sceptred Isle - The Twentieth Century 

This Sceptred Isle is a BBC radio series about the history of the lands and peoples of the British Isles. It was produced by Pete Atkin and broadcast in 1995 twice each day — in the morning and late at night — on Radio 4. The series was comprized of 216 episodes, 12-14 minutes each and 29 hours in total duration. 

Starting in 55 BC with the arrival of Julius Caesar and initially concluding in 1901 with the death of Queen Victoria, the series was read by Anna Massey and included extracts from the book A History of the English-Speaking Peoples written by Sir Winston Churchill, interwoven into Christopher Lee’s main account of the history. The extracts were read by Paul Eddington, who died during the production and his role was taken by Peter Jeffrey. In total the series contained 216 episodes, ran 29 hours, and was first broadcast in daily episodes between June 1995 and June 1996. 

In 1999 the BBC extended the programme to cover the 20th century: from 1901, where the original series had ended, to the end of the millennium. This extension, 15.25 hours long, was broadcast from August 30 1999 to December 31 1999. The narrator was retained from the original series but quotations were read by Robert Powell. 

In 2001 another shorter series entitled This Sceptred Isle: Dynasties was produced. This told the stories of the powerful and influential families of Britain’s history, including the Godwines, the Despensers and the Churchills. The series consisted of 10 episodes and was again narrated by Anna Massey. 

Over the course of several months in 2005 and 2006 This Sceptred Isle: Empire a 90-part history of the British Empire was broadcast on Radio 4. Each part was 15 minutes long. The narrator was Juliet Stevenson and the cast of readers of various historical documents–including poems, songs, personal letters, and first-hand accounts–included Jack Davenport, Joss Ackland, Christopher Eccleston, and Anna Massey among others.